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Arbitration Breakdown: Brock McGinn

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Salary arbitration season is underway, as hearings begin on July 20th and extend through August 4th. While arbitration awards are very infrequent, with most cases settling beforehand, occasionally a binding decision is handed down by the arbitrator. What goes on behind closed doors before that point? The players, aided by their representation and the NHLPA, and their respective teams, aided by a select group of lawyers, each file at a certain salary over a one- or two-year term. The arbitrator may decide on any salary at or between those two points, based on the arguments in each sides’ written brief and oral presentation. While both sides will have themes to base their arguments on, rather than debate only the merits of the player, the bulk of the conversation in an arbitration hearing instead centers around comparable players. Each side will use a tailored group of statistical ranges, both career and platform year numbers, to show how the player compares to similar recent arbitration-eligible players. All statistics are available to use, but their persuasiveness is the key. The player side will look to show that the player is superior to a group of players at a salary lower than their filing number, while the team side will look to show that player is inferior to a group of players above their filing number. Whoever makes the most convincing argument will land the favorable decision.

Brock McGinn of the Carolina Hurricanes was the first arbitration filing to become public this off-season and fittingly landed an early hearing date. Barring a last-minute settlement, in less than 24 hours he will also be the first player to go through the arbitration process this summer. Here is a closer look at his case:

The Case of Brock McGinn

Career Statistics: 240 games played, 36 goals, 40 assists, 76 points, -27 rating
Platform Statistics: 82 games played, 10 goals, 16 assists, 26 points, +10 rating

Filing Numbers: McGinn – One year, $2.7MM, Hurricanes – One year, $1.75MM (midpoint: $2.225MM)

Player Side

Themes:

  • Regular Contributor: played in all 82 games in platform season, 162 of last 164; top-nine Hurricanes forward in ATOI, points, and shots in platform season
  • Key Defensive Player: led Hurricanes forwards in shorthanded ATOI; among top-four Hurricanes forwards in plus/minus, hits, blocked shots, and takeaways

Potential Comparable Players:

Scott Laughton (2019)
Career Statistics: 272 games played, 31 goals, 48 assists, 79 points, -24 rating
Platform Statistics: 82 games played, 12 goals, 20 assists, 32 points, -11 rating
Salary: $2.3MM

  • Player’s argument: better career points per game, better career total goals, better platform plus/minus
  • Team’s counter: Laughton had better platform season, Laughton is better defensive player, Laughton’s salary reflects a premium for center position

Zack Kassian (2017)
Career Statistics: 313 games played, 45 goals, 53 assists, 98 points, -21 rating
Platform Statistics: 79 games played, 7 goals, 17 assists, 24 points, +4 rating
Salary: $1.95MM

  • Player’s argument: better platform, higher points per game career, more consistent goal scorer, better defensive numbers
  • Team’s counter: similar points per game career, Kassian had close to full season more experience

Team Side

Themes:

  • Fourth-line forward: outside top-nine Hurricanes forwards in even strength ATOI, no role on the power play
  • Not a reliable goal scorer: low shooting percentage (8.1% platform, 9.4% career), tied for 12th among Hurricanes forwards in goals per game; no game-winning goals or overtime goals in regular season
  • Regression: goals, points, shooting percentage, ATOI all down in platform season from year prior

Potential Comparable Players:

Joel Armia (2019)
Career Statistics: 237 games, 39 goals, 42 assists, 81 points, -3 rating
Platform Statistics: 57 games, 13 goals, 10 assists, 23 points, even rating
Salary: $2.6MM

  • Team’s argument: Armia has better career points per game, Armia has far better platform, similar defensive numbers
  • Player’s counter: better career-high goals, better physical game

Artturi Lehkonen (2019)
Career Statistics: 221 games, 41 goals, 39 assists, 80 points, -2 rating
Platform Statistics: 82 games, 11 goals, 20 assists, 31 points, +10 rating
Salary: $2.4MM

  • Team’s argument: Lehkonen has better career and platform points per game, Lehkonen has better career and platform goals, Lehkonen has more consistent offensive numbers, similarly low shooting percentage – Lehkonen more involved offensively, similar defensive numbers
  • Player’s counter: different styles of player – Lehkonen far less physical, Lehkonen’s career and platform numbers inflated by substantially more ice time

Prediction

This is not an exhaustive list of possible comparable players, but based on the player side and team side filing numbers and the resulting midpoint, the Carolina Hurricanes have a stronger case with the comparable players available than does Brock McGinn. Expect a potential decision to be in the $2-2.2MM range.

Jacob Trouba Agrees To Terms With New York Rangers

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The New York Rangers are going to avoid arbitration with new defenseman Jacob Trouba, instead agreeing to terms on a new contract. The deal is for seven years and carries an average annual value of $8MM. Trouba was scheduled for an arbitration hearing on July 25, but will no longer require it. CapFriendly provides the full breakdown:

  • 2019-20: $4.0MM salary + $8.0MM signing bonus
  • 2020-21: $2.0MM salary + $8.0MM signing bonus + NMC
  • 2021-22: $2.0MM salary + $6.0MM signing bonus + NMC
  • 2022-23: $6.0MM salary + NMC
  • 2023-24: $8.0MM salary + NMC
  • 2024-25: $6.0MM salary + 15-team NTC
  • 2025-26: $6.0MM salary + 12-team NTC

This contract is exactly the reason why the Winnipeg Jets decided to move on and trade the 25-year old Trouba this summer, as they wouldn’t have been able to afford a deal of this magnitude even if he had wanted to sign long-term there. The Jets have Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine to sign this offseason and already have huge commitments laid out for several others. The Rangers meanwhile had nearly zero long-term commitments when they acquired Trouba for Neal Pionk and a first-round pick, though they subsequently gave Artemi Panarin $81.5MM in free agency.

Signing Trouba is another signal that the Rangers are finished their tear down and are starting to turn the corner towards a competitive team once again. After spending a little over a year selling every asset they could to acquire draft picks and prospects, the Rangers have now added a top-pairing defenseman, superstar winger and second-overall pick in one offseason, not to mention nabbing top college prospect Adam Fox from the Carolina Hurricanes. Though the team is still projected to be very young this year with names like Filip Chytil, Kaapo Kakko, Lias Andersson and Brett Howden fighting for playing time, the additions of Trouba and Panarin are not ones made by a rebuilding club.

The new contract for Trouba will buy out six years of unrestricted free agency, as an arbitration decision of one year would have taken him to the open market. Despite being only 25 he has already played six full seasons in the NHL, totaling 408 regular season games. After taking on a bigger powerplay role last season with the Jets, Trouba set a career-high in points with 50 while still averaging nearly 23 minutes a night. He will immediately become their top right-handed option, forming quite the formidable pairing with Brady Skjei if the team decides to go that route.

At $8MM however, a huge responsibility will be placed on Trouba’s shoulders. The deal makes him the fifth-highest paid defenseman (in terms of cap hit) in the league, tied with John Carlson and Brent Burns. Both of those players have reached the 70-point mark, with Burns being a previous Norris Trophy winner as the league’s best defenseman (three-time finalist). He’ll have more than enough opportunity to get to that level in New York, but it’s still a gamble for the Rangers to make at this point.

In fact, this deal (when combined with Panarin’s) puts the Rangers into a tight salary situation of their own. The team still has Brendan Lemieux and Anthony DeAngelo to sign and an arbitration hearing scheduled for later this month with Pavel Buchnevich. In order to afford new contracts for all three the Rangers will have to make an additional roster move, whether that is trading a player like Vladislav Namestnikov or buying out someone like Kevin Shattenkirk. The team will get another buyout window a few days after the Buchnevich arbitration is settled, which will give them some more flexibility. There is also the possibility of trading veteran forward Chris Kreider who sits as the third-highest paid forward on the team and is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Either way, this contract for Trouba comes with real consequences for the Rangers. The 25-year old defenseman is an excellent player, but he now has even more pressure to perform than ever.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Andrew Copp, Winnipeg Jets Exchange Arbitration Figures

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Second on the list of arbitration hearings scheduled for this summer is Andrew Copp of the Winnipeg Jets. The two sides exchanged figures prior to their hearing on Sunday, and according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet the player filed for a one-year deal at $2.9MM while the team is looking for a two-year contract at $1.5MM. In this case the team gets to choose the length of the award because Copp was the one who filed for arbitration. It is important to remember that not only can the two sides still negotiate a different deal in the time remaining (and even for a short period after the hearing), the arbitration decision also does not need to be one salary or the other. The award can (and usually does) fall somewhere in the middle of the submitted figures.

Copp only just turned 25 a few days ago, meaning he will be a restricted free agent at the end of even a two-year contract. The fourth-round pick has developed into a valuable depth piece for the Jets even if his offense still hasn’t progressed very far. Scoring 11 goals and 25 points in 69 games last season was the best rate of his NHL career, but his real worth lies on the penalty kill and in the corners where he is a strong possession player.

The question will be how the Jets can afford to keep him as a fourth-line player if he receives a decision anywhere near the $2.9MM he filed for. Though they still have nearly $23MM in cap room, Winnipeg has contracts still to sign with Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine which should likely total more than $15MM combined. That $23MM disappears fast given it is only based on a 15-player roster at the moment, and Neal Pionk is also due for an arbitration hearing next week. The Jets find themselves in real trouble after losing three key players from their blue line and will need a youngster like Jack Roslovic or Kristian Vesalainen to give them some real value on an entry-level deal.

Brock McGinn, Carolina Hurricanes Exchange Arbitration Figures

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Brock McGinn’s arbitration hearing is first on the books this year, scheduled for Saturday in Toronto. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has received word on the figures exchanged from both sides, tweeting that McGinn’s camp is looking for $2.7MM while Carolina is hoping for $1.75MM. It is important to remember that not only can the two sides still negotiate a different deal in the time remaining (and even for a short period after the hearing), the arbitration decision also does not need to be one figure or the other. The award can (and usually does) fall somewhere in the middle of the submitted salaries.

McGinn, 25, is coming off a two-year, $1.775MM contract so regardless of where the decision lands he is about to get a healthy raise. The second round pick has developed into a useful bottom-six winger that can chip in offensively from time to time and bring a strong level of physicality every night. Though he had just ten goals in 2018-19 he had 16 the year prior, and is the team’s leading penalty killing forward. That’s a useful piece for a team trying to return to the playoffs and contend for the Stanley Cup, especially when he has shown he can play up in the lineup when asked to, at least for short periods of time.

The Hurricanes have a few other restricted free agents to sign but are working with a healthy amount of cap space even after signing Sebastian Aho to a big extension and bringing in some help up front. With additions like Ryan Dzingel and Erik Haula the team should have a deeper group of forwards who can score, letting others like McGinn feast on even easier matchups.

Remember that the team is allowed to select whether the award is for one or two years, a decision that may not be quite so simple. While a one-year term would leave McGinn a restricted free agent again next summer, a two-year award would lock him in at a reasonable number while the team works to build the rest of the roster. Cost controlled players are valuable, and there would still be the option to extend him at some point before he reached unrestricted free agency in 2021. None of that will matter if the two sides can work out a deal in the coming days however, which is still definitely a possibility.

Poll: How Many Unresolved Arbitration Cases Will Require An Award?

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In the NHL, the salary arbitration process is more often used as a negotiating tool – an incentive to get a deal done before the uncomfortable setting of a hearing and the unknown of an arbitrator’s decision – than it is for its actual purpose. A vast majority of players who file for arbitration end up settling before their hearing or even at the last moment before an award is handed down. Last year, 44 players filed for arbitration and 40 settled prior to their hearing. The year before, all 30 cases were resolved before an arbitration award could be made.

So what about this year? There were initially 40 cases of player-elected arbitration and one case of team-elected arbitration (the St. Louis Blues and goalie Ville Husso), but that number is now down to 25 open cases. That’s a substantial drop-off, but time is running out for some RFA’s and their teams to come to terms, as the first scheduled hearing is set to take place on Saturday, July 20th. Listed below are all of the remaining cases:

July 20: Brock McGinn, Carolina Hurricanes
July 21: Andrew Copp, Winnipeg Jets
July 22: MacKenzie Weegar, Florida Panthers; Zach Aston-Reese, Pittsburgh Penguins; Ville Husso, St. Louis Blues; Christian Djoos, Washington Capitals
July 23: Evan Rodrigues, Buffalo Sabres
July 24: Oskar Sundqvist, St. Louis Blues; Neal Pionk, Winnipeg Jets
July 25: Jacob Trouba, New York Rangers
July 26: Colton Sissons, Nashville Predators
July 27: Sam Bennett, Calgary Flames
July 28: Mirco Mueller, New Jersey Devils
July 29: David Rittich, Calgary Flames; Pavel Buchnevich, New York Rangers
August 1: Remi Elie, Buffalo Sabres; Chandler Stephenson, Washington Capitals
August 2: Linus Ullmark, Buffalo Sabres; Charles Hudon, Montreal Canadiens; Will Butcher, New Jersey Devils
August 4: Jake McCabe, Buffalo Sabres; Anton Forsberg, Carolina Hurricanes; Sheldon Dries, Colorado Avalanche; Rocco Grimaldi, Nashville Predators; Joel Edmundson, St. Louis Blues

Given the time constraints and the complexity of each of these cases, how many will feel forced to go to hearing? Will Trouba be one of that select group, as he was last year? Will the Sabres struggle to settle four cases before their scheduled hearing dates? Will the Blues see through their team-elected case with Husso? Will other goalies prove to be difficult negotiations? And will polarizing players like Bennett and Buchnevich fail to find common ground with their teams? Or will it be under-the-radar players like Gemel Smith and Brett Kulak last year who go through the full process?

There are many questions left about this group of restricted free agents and time is running out before we know the answers. So the choice is yours: will we see an unprecedented class of arbitration awards or will all or most cases reach a resolution in the coming weeks?

[Mobile users click here to vote]

2019 Arbitration Tracker

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The deadline to file for player-elected salary arbitration comes in at 4pm today, while tomorrow brings the deadline for team-elected filings. To understand the entire arbitration process, make sure you read Mike Furlano’s Capology 101 posts from 2016 on the process (part 1, part 2). Filing for arbitration also removes the opportunity for other teams to sign a player to an offer sheet.

Below, you can find a complete list of unsigned arbitration eligible players broken down by team. Refresh this page often as new information will be added as it comes in.

Updated July 17

Anaheim Ducks

Chase De Leo  – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Justin Kloos – Re-signed without filing

Arizona Coyotes

Emil Pettersson – Will play in SHL
Michael Bunting – Re-signed prior to deadline
Hudson Fasching – Re-signed prior to deadline

Boston Bruins

Peter Cehlarik – Re-signed without filing
Danton Heinen – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing

Buffalo Sabres

Remi Elie – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 1
Zemgus Girgensons – Re-signed prior to deadline
Johan Larsson – Re-signed without filing
Jake McCabe – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 4
Evan Rodrigues – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 23
Linus Ullmark – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 2

Calgary Flames

Sam Bennett – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 27
Spencer Foo – Will play in KHL
Ryan Lomberg – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
David Rittich – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 29
Rinat Valiev – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing

Carolina Hurricanes

Brock McGinn – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Trevor Carrick – Did not file, remains unsigned
Anton Forsberg – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 4
Saku Maenalanen – Did not file, remains unsigned

Chicago Blackhawks

Victor Ejdsell – Will play in SHL

Colorado Avalanche

Andre Burakovsky – Re-signed without filing
J.T. Compher – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Sheldon Dries – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 4
Ryan Graves – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Anton Lindholm – Did not file, remains unsigned
Nikita Zadorov – Re-signed prior to deadline

Columbus Blue Jackets

Scott Harrington – Re-signed prior to deadline
Justin Scott – Re-signed without filing
Lukas Sedlak – Will play in KHL

Dallas Stars

Gavin Bayreuther – Re-signed without filing
Jason Dickinson – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Niklas Hansson – Will play in SHL
Dillon Heatherington – Re-signed without filing

Detroit Red Wings

Patrik Rybar – Will play in Liiga

Edmonton Oilers

(none)

Florida Panthers

Anthony Greco – Re-signed without filing
Maxim Mamin – Will play in KHL
Ian McCoshen – Did not file, remains unsigned
Dominic Toninato  – Re-signed without filing
MacKenzie Weegar – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 22

Los Angeles Kings

Alex Iafallo – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Calvin Petersen – Re-signed without filing
Matt Roy – Re-signed without filing

Minnesota Wild

Louis Belpedio – Did not file, remains unsigned
Ryan Donato – Re-signed without filing
Carson Soucy – Re-signed without filing

Montreal Canadiens

Joel Armia – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Charles Hudon – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 2
Artturi Lehkonen – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Michael McCarron – Did not file, remains unsigned

Nashville Predators

Rocco Grimaldi – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 4
Colton Sissons – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 26

New Jersey Devils

Brandon Baddock – Re-signed without filing
Will Butcher – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 2
Connor Carrick – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Mirco Mueller – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 28

New York Islanders

(none)

New York Rangers

Pavel Buchnevich – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 29
Vinni Lettieri – Did not file, remains unsigned
Jacob Trouba – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 25

Ottawa Senators

(none)

Philadelphia Flyers

Scott Laughton – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing

Pittsburgh Penguins

Zach Aston-Reese – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 22
Teddy Blueger – Re-signed without filing
Adam Johnson – Re-signed without filing

San Jose Sharks

Nick DeSimone – Re-signed without filing
Antti Suomela – Re-signed without filing

St. Louis Blues

Jordan Binnington – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Joel Edmundson – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 4
Ville Husso – Team filed for salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 22
Zach Sanford – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Oskar Sundqvist – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 24

Tampa Bay Lightning

Adam Erne – Did not file, remains unsigned
Cedric Paquette – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Carter Verhaeghe – Re-signed prior to deadline

Toronto Maple Leafs

(none)

Vancouver Canucks

Reid Boucher – Re-signed without filing
Josh Leivo – Re-signed prior to deadline

Vegas Golden Knights*

Malcolm Subban – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Re-signed prior to hearing
Jake Bischoff – Re-signed without filing

Washington Capitals

Chandler Stephenson – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled August 1
Christian Djoos – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 22
Colby Williams – Re-signed without filing

Winnipeg Jets

Eric Comrie – Did not file, remains unsigned
Andrew Copp – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 21
Neal Pionk – Filed for player-elected salary arbitration – Hearing scheduled July 24

 

*Of note, CapFriendly explained on Twitter that though Nikita Gusev appears on their calculator, he is not actually eligible for salary arbitration this year.

J.T. Compher Signs With Colorado Avalanche

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The Colorado Avalanche have signed J.T. Compher to a four-year deal. The contract will carry a $3.5MM average annual value. Compher was scheduled to have an arbitration hearing at the end of the month.

Compher, 24, is coming off his third season in the Colorado organization and his best offensive one to date. Scoring 16 goals and 32 points in 66 games, he was one of the most versatile forwards the Avalanche had, lining up on both the wing and at center (though the former much more often). Compher was also used extensively on both the powerplay and penalty kill, and averaged the most ice time of any forward outside of the top line—Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog.

It was that versatility that made Compher such an attractive piece when the Avalanche acquired him as part of the Ryan O’Reilly trade in 2015, even before he had exploded offensively at the University of Michigan. The season following the trade Compher had 63 points in 38 games for the Wolverines, but happened to lose the Hobey Baker award as the nation’s top collegiate player to Jimmy Vesey.

Still, it took some time for the young forward to really find his groove at the NHL level. Compher tallied just 28 points in his first 90 games for the Avalanche but as his role has increased so has his production. With this contract, the Avalanche are betting that he can at least maintain the lever he showed last season and continue to be an all-situation player for the team.

A four-year deal will buy out one unrestricted free agent season for the Avalanche, leaving Compher a UFA when the deal expires in 2023. In that sense it could be quite the bargain if he ends up improving his offense even further (and staying healthy through an entire season) and is able to continue contributing in all situations. It will be interesting to see exactly where he ends up in the new lineup, as the team brought in Nazem Kadri, Joonas Donskoi, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Andre Burakovsky this offseason to strengthen the Colorado forward group.

The deal is the same one that former teammate Alexander Kerfoot signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs after the trade that brought Kadri to Colorado, an interesting comparison given Kerfoot’s higher point production through nearly the same amount of NHL games. The total is also the same as what Micheal Ferland signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Vancouver Canucks, though he plays a much different role than Compher with his physicality. In all, this certainly doesn’t make Compher an albatross contract for the Avalanche but it does put some pressure on the young forward to continue his development and take another step forward.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke news of the signing on Twitter.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Connor Carrick Avoids Arbitration With New Jersey Devils

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Connor Carrick doesn’t have to worry about his arbitration hearing later this month. He has re-signed with the New Jersey Devils, inking a two-year contract that will carry a $1.5MM average annual value. Carrick will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the deal.

Carrick has had a rough career so far, never staying in one place for very long. Originally selected in the fifth round by the Washington Capitals, he exploded in the OHL following his 2012 draft and immediately became known as a legitimate NHL prospect. It took him almost no time to reach the highest level, suiting up 34 times in 2013-14 as a teenager (he actually turned 20 on the day of his final game that season). That didn’t mean his journey had ended though, as Carrick was back in the AHL for the majority of the next two seasons before being flipped to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a trade for Daniel Winnik in 2016. Showing promise once again he played 130 games for the Maple Leafs before being sent south to the Dallas Stars for a conditional seventh-round pick when there wasn’t enough room on the roster. Dallas gave him only 14 games before flipping him again at the deadline to the Devils for Ben Lovejoy.

Now finally he may have found a home. Playing in 20 games down the stretch for New Jersey, Carrick averaged nearly 20 minutes a night and scored seven points. This contract represents a bigger commitment than any team had made to him previously, and likely means he is a favorite for the third-pairing role behind P.K. Subban and Damon Severson. That’s not a bad place to be in for a 25-year old with good possession stats and some interesting offensive upside.

Where his role on the team ultimately lies however still might be dependent on the other two restricted free agent defensemen the Devils have to sign. Mirco Mueller and Will Butcher both filed for salary arbitration and have hearings scheduled for a few weeks from now. With Andy Greene and Sami Vatanen both unrestricted free agents next summer, one-year arbitration settlements for Mueller and Butcher could mean the Devils have a lot of decisions coming in a year’s time. That uncertainty may be exactly why Carrick and the Devils wanted a two-year term, guaranteeing he’d be under contract and not needing another negotiation in an extremely busy 2020.

Calgary Flames Avoid Arbitration With Rinat Valiev, Ryan Lomberg

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The Calgary Flames have re-signed Rinat Valiev inking the minor league defenseman to a one-year deal, meaning he will not need the arbitration hearing scheduled for early August. The same can be said about Ryan Lomberg, who has also signed a one-year two-way contract. Both deals will carry $700K salaries in the NHL.

Valiev, 24, has bounced around the minor leagues the last few years, suiting up for the Toronto Marlies, Laval Rocket and Stockton Heat. The third-round pick from 2014 has just 12 games in the NHL and likely won’t see much more with Calgary this year. He will however be asked to be a leader on the Heat as one of the more experienced defensemen and a bridge for Artyom Zagidulin and Alexander Yelesin, both coming over from Russia for their first years in North America. Valiev will qualify for Group VI unrestricted free agency next summer unless he somehow finds his way into 68 games at the NHL level.

Lomberg, 24, is much of the same story. Undrafted he joined the Flames organization a few years ago after a couple of years in the NCAA and USHL, but hasn’t made a huge impact at the NHL level. Playing in 11 games for Calgary he has been used almost exclusively as a physical presence, recording 32 penalty minutes and just a single point. Lomberg is however a real contributor when playing for the Heat, and he’ll likely return there to continue his role in the minor leagues.

Latest On Rangers’ Jacob Trouba

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While many people expected that the New York Rangers would lock up defenseman Jacob Trouba quickly after the team acquired the blueliner from Winnipeg in June, that still has not happened. Now with a pending date of July 25 for his arbitration hearing, it’s possible that the two teams will go down to the wire and there’s no guarantee that Trouba won’t sign just a one-year deal or force arbitration.

In fact, the New York Post’s Larry Brooks suggests that while he thought the Trouba deal would already be done, he now wonders whether Trouba has a different plan after all. While Trouba could sign a seven-year deal now, somewhere between $7.5-7.8MM and about $55MM total. However, if he’s willing to bet on himself, the 25-year-old could turn this into a nine-year deal worth as much as $70MM. Trouba could be looking to ink a one-year deal this summer and then would be eligible to sign an eight-year pact after the trade deadline and could really cash in then.

However, the one flaw in Trouba’s plan is whether the Rangers are going to be willing to take the chance that they could lose him for nothing at the end of the year if Trouba decides he doesn’t like it in New York and chooses to sign elsewhere. The Rangers could opt to flip him at the trade deadline if there is no sign that he wants to sign.

Of course, Trouba gave Winnipeg a short list of teams he would play for last month and the Rangers were one of those teams, so it’s unlikely he’s already decided he doesn’t want to stay. Brooks writes that he still believes that Trouba and the Rangers will come to an agreement on a long-term deal as general manger Jeff Gorton and Trouba’s agent Kurt Overhardt have been conducting extensive negotiations, but at the same time, he adds that it is possible that Trouba is trying to get another $15MM out of the Rangers.

Another possibility is that if Trouba could lose quite a bit of money if he gambles on himself and struggles in New York. The Rangers are ready to commit seven years to him right now. Trouba, as well as the Rangers, view him as a top-line defensive player, but often playing in New York creates new pressures. However, Trouba has gambled on himself before, signing a one-year deal with Winnipeg last season and he proceeded to produce a career-high eight goals and 50 points. Also, there is little motivation to get a deal done and real pressure won’t get started until a couple of days before his arbitration day hearing, so we’ll see how things shake out.

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